How your Students’ Union supports your wellbeing while at university…
As your Students’ Union (SU), we are here to support the wellbeing and quality of life of the student community. We understand that students face a wide range of wellbeing challenges during their time at university, and as your Students’ Union, we play an important role in helping you tackle these through our support services and our knowledge of available support on campus that we can signpost you to.
We want to ensure you have a successful, fulfilling, and rewarding time whilst you study at the University of Plymouth, and help you to navigate your time as you prepare for life after graduating. We want you to feel cared for and supported and part of our inclusive community: we are here for you to turn to at any point during your educational journey and to ensure that you never feel alone.
We want to help you find a balanced lifestyle while at the University of Plymouth. Whilst we strongly support and encourage you to prioritise your academic studies when you can, we want to see students find a healthy work-life balance and to enrich their university experience by getting involved with activities outside of their core education. This could include getting involved in a sports club or society, undertaking volunteer work, or attending one of our popular weekly student nights at the SU.
We also support student wellbeing through a diversity of initiatives and campaigns throughout the year, such as Mindful May: a campaign intended to help you become more attuned to your emotional state, find new ways to relax your mind and encourage you to get involved with new activities and take advantage of helpful resources and sessions organised by UPSU and the University of Plymouth.
Our SU Advice team are always on hand to provide support and guidance for student wellbeing through a variety of practical online resources, including alcohol use, sexual health, online safety, and mental and physical wellbeing. Our SU Advice team can also help signpost students to further wellbeing services at the University of Plymouth and to external organisations in Plymouth or online that are relevant to the student’s support needs.
Where to find peer-to-peer support and opportunities to make connections while at university…
There are two UPSU Buddy Schemes available for all University of Plymouth students to access. These aim to provide support and assistance for anyone who wants it. The most important thing to remember is that you are not alone. You can either sign up to become a buddy and support wellbeing in the student’s community or sign up to access a buddy. More information on both schemes can be found here.
As your Students’ Union, we work hard to organise as many free and low-cost wellbeing activities that all students can access regularly to ensure every member of our community has equal access to a better quality of life while at the University of Plymouth. Our Give It A Go programme is a timetable of either free or low cost activities, including sports such as rock climbing, badminton and yoga, which take place either on the University of Plymouth campus, in our SU Gym, or in other local leisure centres. This year, Give It A Go has introduced day trips, workshops and a host of other activities either in Plymouth or its surrounding areas to enable the student community to explore new places, visit local attractions and enjoy thrilling experiences whilst finding new friends.
We also support over 100 student-led sports clubs and societies, from basketball to biology, rugby to the robotics society, there is student group for everyone. Student groups are a fantastic way to build meaningful connections with others around shared interests, experiences, and identities.
We also provide students with weekly opportunities to get involved with one-off volunteering opportunities through our Student-Led Volunteering programme. These day trips allow students to meet and socialise with other University of Plymouth students and work together by volunteering their time to supporting organisations in and around Plymouth, making a real difference to the local community.
If you are looking for peer-to-peer academic support, the University of Plymouth run a Peer Assisted Learning Scheme (PALS): regular study sessions for students, by students.
The Peer Assisted Learning Scheme (PALS) is a scheme of support for students, by students in the year above on the same course and takes place as regular coordinated group study sessions. In PALS sessions you will get the opportunity to develop your study skills and revise course content. Your group will be small enough to work together, discussing ideas, completing tasks, and checking understanding in a relaxed and friendly environment.
The students running the sessions are called PALS Leaders, they are trained and experienced students who have regular contact with academics in your programme to ensure that PALS sessions are relevant and well planned. -- University of Plymouth on PALS
For more information on peer-to-peer support through PALS, click here.
If you are in search of peer-to-peer support online, the University of Plymouth has partnered with Togetherall, a safe, online, peer-to-peer 24/7 global community moderated by clinical professionals to help individuals take control of their mental health through a wealth of resources and self-help courses for free. Find out more about the Togetherall Partnership here.
Where to access advice on campus…
Our team of friendly advisors have experience in dealing with all types of student enquiries and will endeavour to work with you to find a solution to any problems you may be facing as a student. Most importantly, the SU Advice team are not part of the University of Plymouth, and therefore we are able to provide independent and confidential advice, so you can speak to us in confidence knowing nothing will be shared with anyone, including the University, if you don’t want it to be.
SU Advice can offer support and information on accommodation concerns, such as deposit schemes and inventories, as well as a free tenancy agreement checking service. The team can also provide financial guidance, including advice on budgeting, discounts, travel, healthcare, welfare benefits and childcare costs to help make sure you are getting the best value for money. SU Advice are also here to help you navigate and understand Student Finance England (SFE), including your tuition fee loans, maintenance loans, and if you qualify for any bursaries or additional grants. Our SU Advice team are here to support all University of Plymouth students, whether they are a new student, returning student, postgraduate or international student: we are here to offer information and guidance to ensure you understand your outgoing fees and available financial support.
As well as accommodation and financial guidance, SU Advice can also provide academic advice for a wide range of academic issues including appeals, complaints, consumer rights, extenuating circumstances, fitness to practice, interruption to studies and academic offences. Our team can advise you regarding the various procedures, comment on your appeal and complaint submissions, and help you to prepare for disciplinary hearings. In certain circumstances our advisors can even attend them with you. As a separate organisation from the University of Plymouth, we are here to provide confidential advice and advocate for your rights when you need us.
Where to find career support while at university…
As your SU, endeavour to provide you with a diversity of opportunities for you to enhance your learning and development and to help you prepare for and accelerate in your chosen field. We can support you with finding and securing internships, work placements, and volunteering opportunities externally and through volunteering events organised by our Student-Led Volunteering programme.
Furthermore, if you are looking to earn while you learn, we employ members of student staff in a variety of roles from running our SU Bar and Coffee Spot, serving customers in our SU Shop, or providing technical assistance at our events.
If you are in search of career guidance, to attend development workshops, or in search of networking opportunities, the University of Plymouth Careers Services provides professional information, advice and guidance for students and graduates on building skills, experience and contacts to improve employability.
The University’s Career Service offers a comprehensive range of resources backed up with individual advice and guidance. Click on any of the following for more information:
Click here to find out more information on the University of Plymouth’s learning support services to help you develop your writing and other academic skills, including the Writing Café and the Writing for Assignments E Library.
Where to find support for non-academic student enquiries…
The University of Plymouth Student Hub.
The Student Hub is the University’s first point of contact for all non-academic student queries. Our dedicated advisers are here to help you to get the most out of your time at university. No issue is too big, and no question is too small. Our friendly, confidential, and impartial team will be pleased to help you. -- University of Plymouth on the Student Hub
The Student Hub can support you by:
- Responding to emails and taking calls
- Offering one-to-one support and appointments both in person and online
- By delivering support groups online and in person
You can visit the Student Hub located in the Charles Seale-Hayne Library. Email: studentservices@plymouth.ac.uk
For more information about the Student Hub, click here.
As your Students’ Union, we are also here to support you through your time at University by providing free advice on a range of issues and concerns that students may have, including non-academic issues and enquiries such as keeping safe in Plymouth, budgeting advice, and accommodation guidance. Click here to find out more about our SU Advice services.
Where to find support and advice as an international student…
The International Student Advice (ISA) team offers free specialist advice on immigration to study at the University of Plymouth.
We can answer your questions on many issues related to international study, including the EU Settlement Scheme, Refusals and Admin Reviews, Short Term Study visas for English courses, and Visitor and Hong Kong BN(O) visas. --- University of Plymouth on ISA
Talk to one of the ISA team via Zoom: chat live: 09:30–10:30, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. ISA are also available for in-person sessions at the Student Hub in the Charles Seale-Hayne library on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 09:30–10:30 (no need to book). Email: studentservices@plymouth.ac.uk
Please read the Client Care Agreement for international students before receiving advice from the ISA team.
Where to find mental wellbeing support on campus…
It's really important to look after your wellbeing whilst you're at university. Our SU Advice team can offer practical advice about a range of issues, but sometimes you just need someone to talk to, if this is the case then why not consider getting in touch with the Wellbeing Services offered by the University.
The University’s Student Wellbeing Services is a multi-disciplinary team comprising Mental Health, Counselling, and Pastoral & Spiritual Support offering one-to-one appointments, drop-in sessions and a whole range of workshops and groups as well as self-help materials.
Click on any of the following links for more information:
Click here for more information on Pastoral & Spiritual Support.
Where to find self-help support while at university…
You can access a range of self-help resources on our website brought to you by the SU Advice team, as well as signposting to external self-help resources and services, including free and low-cost podcasts and apps.
The University of Plymouth’s Student Wellbeing Services include a range of free self-help resources, including Togetherall, NHS information for students, and recommendations for self-help books. Click here to find out more about the University of Plymouth's self-help resouces.
Where to find support and information regarding equality, diversity, and inclusion while at university…
As your Students’ Union, we are committed to representing and appreciating our rich diversity of culture, ethnicity, race, religion, neurodiversity, sexual orientation, and gender identity and expression, as well as our diversity in ideologies and morals and so much more. We use our platform to raise awareness and celebrate diversity and inclusion, as well as working with individual students to provide them with a safe place to share their stories, and bring attention to inequalities and disparities they may face. Our Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Sub-Committee is open to all students to discuss ideas and feedback and to advocate for change. We are proud to be a vibrant community of both students and staff who show unity in our diversity.
The University’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (IDI) Toolkits provide a range of resources selected by staff and students to support anyone in our student community wanting to know more about a range of equality, diversity and inclusion topics. Resources include podcasts, films, reading lists and online seminars and the toolkits are continually updated with new suggestions from staff and students.
Click any of the following links for more information:
Click here to access the (IDI) Toolkits
Have you not found the type of support you are looking for on this page? Please contact our SU Advice team who will be happy to work with you to find the right support and signpost you to any additional services we, the University, or external organisations can provide. Email: advice@su.plymouth.ac.uk